Background: Migraine is associated with sleep disturbances in men and non-pregnant women. However, relatively little is known about sleep disturbances among pregnant migraineurs. We investigated sleep disturbances among pregnant women with and without history of migraine.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 1324 women who were recruited during early pregnancy. Migraine diagnoses were based on the International Classification of Headache Disorders-II criteria. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaire was used to evaluate sleep-related characteristics including sleep duration, sleep quality, excessive daytime sleepiness, and other sleep traits. Multivariable logistic regression procedures were used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
Results: Migraineurs were more likely than non-migraineurs to report short sleep duration (<6.5 hours) (AOR = 1.47, 95% CI 1.07-2.02), poor sleep quality (PSQI>5) (AOR = 1.73, 95% CI 1.35-2.23), and daytime dysfunction due to sleepiness (AOR = 1.51, 95% CI 1.12-2.02). Migraineurs were also more likely than non-migraineurs to report taking sleep medication during pregnancy (AOR = 1.71, 95% CI 1.20-2.42). Associations were generally similar for migraine with or without aura. The odds of sleep disturbances were particularly elevated among pre-pregnancy overweight migraineurs.
Conclusion: Migraine headache and sleep disturbances are common comorbid conditions among pregnant women.
Keywords: Migraine; PSQI; aura; headache; pregnancy; sleep; snore.
© International Headache Society 2015.